Apple Removes All Bitcoin Wallets from iOS
Bitcoin is nothing short of controversial, and Apple is demonstrating its feelings towards the online currency by removing all Bitcoin wallets from its OS. This week the company removed the last Bitcoin wallet from its iOS store, the Blockchain app. Blockchain received no warning and was told that the app was removed due to an “unresolved issue.” Apple did not clarify what this meant. The app had been in Apple’s store for two years and had been downloaded some 120,000 times. The company has launched an online petition requesting that Apple allow wallets on its system, but so far Apple has declined to comment further or discuss the issue.
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Post Office Looking to Bitcoin For Revenue?
The U.S. Post Office is struggling to pay its bills. Despite attempts to secure new sources of revenue, the Post Office still isn’t generating enough cash. Now, the Postal Service is considering adding Bitcoin to its services. Apparently, the Post Office is even considering setting up Bitcoin exchanges at its post offices. Industry experts believe that the Post Office would have a natural built in advantage, given that the organization is licensed to transmit money and conduct other financial transactions. The Post Office is also considering launching its own digital currency, a so-called “postcoin”, though the details surrounding this currency remain unknown.
Should Bitcoin Be Regulated? Gavin Andresen Says So
Gavin Andresen, the chief scientist at the Bitcoin Foundation, has come on record stating that he would support some government regulation and oversight of the all-digital currency. Specifically, Mr. Andresen supports consumer protections. Mr. Andresen believes that the currency could be aided through consumer protection efforts that increase transparency and help people know who they are trading with. He does not support any efforts to control the currency, however, stating that such efforts would only work for a country like North Korea. Given that Mr. Andresen is one of the most respect figures in the Bitcoin community, his support could carry a lot of weight.
ZipZap Allows You To Buy Bitcoin at 28,000 Different Stores
A new service called ZipZap will now allow people purchase Bitcoins from some 28,000 different stores in the Unikted Kingdom. People looking to buy Bitcoin will be able to head to any of these locations and purchase Bitcoins at the stores. The coins will then appear in the users online wallet. In order to use the service, people must log into their account online, select the amount of Bitcoins they wish to purchase, and then head to the local store to complete the transaction. This should allow people to purchase Bitcoins more quickly than through the traditional system using bank transfers.
Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF Could Change Trading Landscape
Bitcoin hasn’t become all too popular among traditional investment traders, and that may be partly due to the fact that you can’t trade Bitcoins in the same way you can trade stocks, bonds, and other traditional securities. That’ about to change, however, and Bitcoin is set to enter mainstream trading. The Winklevoss twins, famous for their lawsuit against Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, have created an exchange traded fund (ETF) that will base its value on Bitcoin. This will allow people to invest in Bitcoin through traditional brokerage firms.
